Everything is Wonderful Now

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What a journey so far. I've seen so many awe inspiring things, had some amazing conversations, but most importantly, I've done some great thinking. That's what I came here to do. This whole journey is probably still going to seem silly to me in some ways when I'm older, but who cares? I wanted to think about what I want out of my life and if I have the opportunity to do it in this manner, then isn't that pretty great? I can sit and be unhappy on my couch at home while I ruminate about what I should do with my life, or I can have some amazing experiences and accomplish the same goal. One of the most poignant things I've heard from a friend of mine about this trip is that no matter how much thinking I might be trying to do or how miserable I may be about being uncertain with my life's path, everyone is jealous of me right now. I think that statement has a lot of merit to it. Regardless of why I'm here and what I'm getting out of it (which so far has been more than I anticipated) I'm having an incredible journey. Let me share parts of it with you. As always, I prefer to let my photos tell most of the story, so this is just a skeleton of my experiences.

When last I posted I had just spent my first day in Denver and was thoroughly enjoying it. Denver inspired and amazed me. I just felt at home there and loved my stay. A good friend of mine took me on an amazing hike into Indian Peaks Wilderness Area to a King Lake, a gorgeous alpine lake that was simply breathtaking. It was just so blissful for me to be walking through the snow completely immersed in the beauty that surrounded me. We explored Boulder on the way home and it's a nice little town. Quirky, but nice. I'd like to see more of the city and what is has to offer. My next couple days in Denver were spent with a very old friend of mine and his wife who just happened to pick up and move to Denver a few days before I got there, so everything was new for all of us. We had a great hike to some more mountain lakes in Rocky Mountain NP, then explored a couple breweries and had some great drinks and food on our following day. All in all, I'm excited to get back to Denver in a couple of weeks. I know it won't be my last time there. Denver was such a great way for me to start my trip by being surrounded by friends the entire time and it helped me to appreciate the city more. I'm sure it gave me a more positive view of the town than if I were there completely alone, but it was a place I felt completely at ease in, and I love all that it has to offer. The best of urban living and outdoor adventure.

From Denver, I struck out on my own. I changed my plans at the last minute and headed to Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park. Talk about driving through the middle of nowhere to get there! The I-70 pass over Vail in Colorado was beautiful, although snowy and slow driving at times, but once you get into Utah, you are truly in the middle of nowhere. I camped in Moab at the Sand Flats, which was a cool little area my friend tipped me off about, and spent my first evening visiting some of the arches, watching the sunset at Delicate Arch, and then walking around Moab for a bit after dark. My next day I got up early, finished some short hikes around Arches, then had a ridiculous bike ride at the Sand Flats. They have a mountain bike loop that goes over the slickrock and through some pretty rough terrain that was just friggen awesome. I've still got a lot of fear of riding bikes in certain situations from my accident when I was a teenager, but this was just adrenaline pumping fun. And the view of the La Sal mountains in the background could not be beat.

After 2 nights in Moab I moved on to Bryce Canyon National Park. I decided I wanted some alone time to hike and got a permit to spend 2 nights in the backcountry inside the canyon on the under the rim trail. I would have liked to hike the whole thing but being I didn't have a ride to pick me up at the other end, I hiked in about halfway, camped, then hiked back out the next day, moved my car to a trailhead closer to my camp, then hiked back in to sleep for the night. From inside the canyon you don't get as many views of the hoodoos but you do get a very different perspective of the canyon that I thoroughly enjoyed. After my second night there I got up extra early, hiked out of the canyon while it was still dark, and went to a viewpoint to watch the sunrise over the hoodoos. I've developed into an early riser as I get older, but there's just something special about being up before the sun and watching it come up to start the new day. Almost like it's a secret you get to be a part of but everyone else is missing while they still sleep. Let me tell you, the way the sun strikes the hoodoos is awe inspiring. And the stars! Everyone talks about the stars in the Western night sky. It's really not until late in the night that you can start to see many of them, but the times I woke up in the middle of the night and stepped outside my tent (which in 20 degree weather was very hard to do) or when I was up early, the sky has been so clear and the stars so bright that I can't help but just smile and say "Wow."

After my sunrise in Bryce I drove down to Zion National Park. The road into the park from the East is just awesome. So many cool views and you go through this enormous tunnel they cut into the mountain in the '20s. Amazing ingenuity. The canyon part of the park is closed to most traffic so you have to park and take a shuttle throughout the park, which was actually nice to let someone else to the driving for a little while. Over my two days there I got off at each of the areas and went on a few hikes of varying lengths. The parks overall were very crowded, so I was glad I had my alone time in Bryce to counter the crowds I had in Arches and Zion. The hike up Angels Landing was definitely the highlight of Zion, as I think it is for most people. It's short, about 2.5 miles, with an elevation gain of nearly 2000 feet, but the last .5 miles is over exposed ridges and cliffs that is slightly terrifying. But the view from the top makes it all worthwhile. It's a postcard view. One of those moments where you are in awe of nature's beauty. Each day after exploring Zion I also wandered through Springfield, the town just adjacent to the park. Just like Moab, it was a pleasant tourist town with plenty of shops and places to eat.

From Zion I decided to take a day for R & R, so I booked a cheap but nice room in Las Vegas and spent a day there so that I could shower, sleep in a warm bed, and eat slightly better food. I had been to Vegas once before and wasn't a fan, and this just confirmed those feelings for me. Granted, I was there alone both times, but I just don't like the city. I'm glad I went to relax and clean up, but I'd be perfectly happy if I never had to go back.

After Vegas I headed to Sequoia National Park. The drive there was pretty miserable. Parts of the Mojave Desert are beautiful, but once you get near Bakersfield and beyond, it's just desert, oil wells, and orange orchards with a constant haze of clouds and smog overhead. Not pretty. But Sequoia made it worthwhile. Got to see the General Sherman and Grant trees as well as an awesome hike that a guy on the trail recommended to me to spend some time in a secluded sequoia grove. Had to drive my car down a single lane dirt road into this little canyon but boy was it worth it. Totally isolated, nothing but sequoias. There had clearly been a fire there as some of the trees were burnt at least 30 feet up their trunks, but it was amazing because there wasn't much else growing there. I truly was walking among giants. I also had a chance to hike up to a couple more mountain lakes. While these took me away from the sequoias, I loved getting back up into the mountains and seeing the clear lake waters. Being among those trees and alone in the mountains just helps to give you perspective on where you fit into the big scheme of things. We truly are insignificant when we look at the big picture or even when thinking that some of those trees have been around over 2000 years. Gives you some perspective and helps to remind you to make your time here worthwhile.

And that now brings me to San Diego, where I've been since last night. I'm here staying with a friend until tomorrow morning when I head off to my wilderness first responder class for 5 days, then I'll be back here until next Friday, when I'm off on the next leg of my trip. All I've done here so far is eat Mexican food, which has been delicious, but I'm excited to head downtown and to the beach to explore some of the city on foot. I know this post is long yet also says very little, but I hope between my brief descriptions and photos you've got a sense of where I've been and what I'v done.

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Photos

Emerald Lake?
In RMNP.